Last evening when I checked on the barn, the our-hatched chicks had escaped from the teepeed pen.  They clearly had been terrorized by the older chicks.  So I had to catch them all and moved them into the weasel proof pen.  Mr. Pink was in his usual rabbit hutch hiding, but I decided to move him in with Eliz’s birds.  He got along with them before, and he will be safe and happy in there.

Summer was laying down this morning so I worried.  But later she stood up and seemed fine.

Also this morning the turkey poults were hiding under their warmer, and I saw the older chicks reaching under it to peck them.  So they seemed to be terrorized by the older chicks.  So I decided to move them into one of the rabbit hutches with their warmer.  They immediately starting drinking water and seemed relieved.

I even cleaned off the roof of the hutch and the window nearby to give them more light.

Eliz’s birds and Mr. Pink seem to be doing OK again.  I am thinking that when it is time to release them, the other roosters’ attention will be on the younger roosters and not on Mr. Pink.  Hopefully this plan will work.

In the weasel proof pen, the our-hatched chicks and the lighter hatchery chicks are getting along well.

But, for some odd reason, the darker hatchery chicks are hiding in the corner.  It is odd because they came in the same box as the lighter chicks so why are they included and these ones not.  I clearly do not understand chickens.

Anyway I got some extra food for them and when the other chicks moved on they were able to drink.  But this evening they were back hiding in the corner.  Obviously they are being terrorized when I am not watching.  So I moved them back into the rabbit hutch. They immediately started drinking and seemed more relaxed.

Here are the chick counts, for those who are keeping track.  Plus there are 7 turkey poults.  I am hoping I can somehow get them all to adulthood.

In other news, there have been no more coyote sightings or losses.  I moved the security camera farther east on the back pasture fence.  We are thinking this is the path she takes to our pastures.  Hopefully we have improved the fencing enough to discourage her.